Team-Ups of the Brave and the Bold

You don't have to have read the previous 26 issues of this 2010's modern version of DC's flagship team-up franchise, The Brave and the Bold. I didn't know this for a while. That's why I sat on this book for so long. Once I realized that unlike how the series opened with a story line of Batman and Green Lantern alternating pairings with other heroes to find the Book of Destiny, these stories were all self-contained. 

The Team-Ups of the Brave and the Bold contains 7 stories written by J. Michael Straczynski as a last ditch attempt to revitalize the sagging series. Despite the superior writing of Straczynski and the awesome artwork of Jesus Saiz, it just wasn't enough to save this series from cancellation.

The following team-ups in the book includes:

• Robbie Baldwin losing his Hero dial during a family trip to Batman's hometown, Gotham City.
• The Atom goes on a 'fantastic journey' inside the brain of the Joker during a delicate surgery.
• During a science experiment on the speed of light in Belgium, the Flash is sent back in time to assist the pilots of Blackhawk squadron during the Battle of the Bulge.
• Batman investigates the legend of the 60s era Frankenstein monster known as Brother Power, the Geek.
• Wonder Woman and Zatanna take Batgirl on a much needed girl's night out.
• Aquaman and the Demon join forces to stop an Eldritch horror from the deep from conquering the world!

I love a team-up title and while I am a fan of the original Batman The Brave and the Bold collection of books, I like that the Dark Knight isn't the focus of the title here. The Atom's story offers a look at the troubled childhood of the boy who would become the Clown Prince of Crime. It was a chilling work. The Aquaman/Demon story also had hints of horror to it. If you ever wondered what it would be like if H.P. Lovecraft wrote a comic book, you'd have your answer here.

The Flash story was powerful. I can't believe it wasn't written by Joe Kubert with artwork by Brian Bolland. I also was enamored with the title's swan song starting Barbara Gordon. Here I am missing her carefree pre-Killing Joke days when hot with the fact that the events of this story will cause that tragedy to occur! And the Dial H for Hero story was a nostalgic tribute to a great premise that just never got it's proper due.

If you ask me, that Brother Power, the Geek story was unnecessary. Though the way that story ended set up for an exciting storyline that I would pay good money to read. It's just a shame that DC gave up faith in J. Michael Straczynski's writing talents. 

This book is really a beautiful tribute to some of the best eras of DC Comics. There's sci-fi, war, horror, wacky gimmicks and above all love. Love for a good story full of amazing things never before seen and love for the loyal readers.

Highly underrated stuff!

Worth Consuming!

Rating 8 out of 10 stars.

Flash and Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold

Collecting the six-issue miniseries from 1999-2000, this volume recounts the long and complicated friendship between the Barry Allen Flash and the Hal Jordan Green Lantern.

This is a friendship that on paper shouldn't really be. Barry is a nerd, nebbish and sorta a prude. Plus he's a family man, married to Iris West and surrogate father to Wally. Hal is a playboy, a loner, a rebel. He's devoted to Carol Ferris but he plays the field quite a bit. The closet he has to a family is a pair of brothers that he only sees maybe for Thanksgiving and Christmas if lucky.

Clearly this friendship is proof that opposites attract. 

This book is beautifully illustrated by A.D. 2000's Barry Kitson and Tom Grindberg. It's topped off by the epic storytelling of Mark Waid (Daredevil) and Tom Peyer (Batman '66). 

Just as with the history of these two characters, there's highs and lows. I thought the entire book was great. But I hated seeing how both characters were affected by loss and tragedy. Both Hal and Barry have gone through some really crappy stuff in their nearly 70 some years of existence. 

The best chapter has Barry and Hal going on an intergalactic camping trip with their Earth-2 predecessors Jay Garrick and Alan Scott. It's very funny seeing the generation gap between Jordan and Scott and how much Barry and Jay are like mirror images of each other.

A great book that is a must for any fan of the Silver Age Flash and Green Lantern! But be sure to read with tissues nearby.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Brave and The Bold #184

In this pre-Crisis holiday issue, the Huntress is grieving the deaths of her parents, Bruce and Selina Wayne. So the heroine travels from Earth-2 to Earth-1 to spend Christmas with that world's Batman. But when a crook threatens to reveal the previous alleged misdeeds of Thomas Wayne, Bruce Wayne suffers a crisis of conscience. Will this be the Dark Knight's final Yuletide? 

I was expecting this issue to be a downer. I'm not so very familiar with the Earth-2 Huntress. The one I know is from post-Crisis DC in which Batman isn't very fond of the Huntress' superheroing efforts. Here, the Caped Crusader is 'Uncle Bruce' and there's a very loving relationship between the two crime-fighters. Not what I expected at all.  

This was a very good story from Mike W. Barr with excellent art from Jim Aparo. As I said earlier, this issue was a warmer (and pleasant) surprise full of holiday cheer. If you like those Gothic Christmas tales like A Christmas Carol or The Nightmare Before Christmas you will enjoy this deceptively light tale. 

There's also a back-up story for a character called Nemesis. He's a sort of knock-off of the Human Target in my opinion. The story was okay but I didn't feel much a connection with this character who was completely new to me. 

A very well done holiday offering from 1981. A purchase of less than $2 for me, it was a freakin' steal!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Brave and the Bold #148

If it wasn't for finding nearly a complete run of the issues missing for my Brave and the Bold collection thanks to Ssalefish Comics, I wouldn't even be getting to review this holiday treat from 1979. 

Batman is on the trail of a gang of buttleggers. No, this isn't some odd combination of Uggs and Yoga pants. Apparently, that is the correct term for those who illegally steal and smuggle cigarettes for sale. Commissioner Gordon is stymied by the thefts and the Caped Crusader is oddly giving his friend a hard time about it. 

Also having a hard time is Plastic Man. In this story, Plas has just established himself as a hero, having renounced his wicked ways after gaining his powers of elasticity. But walking the straight and narrow doesn't pay the bills like being a gangster does. So Plastic Man has to take a job being a bell-ringing Santa in a fancy holiday display at a Gotham City department store. 

On Christmas Eve morning, somebody steals the display. Also missing is Plastic Man who manages to leave a clue before his disappearance. Now Batman must save Gotham's Christmas by hightailing it down south to sunny Florida before time runs out!

A very unusual contrast of Christmas scenery in this story. The first half is perfect- snow, cold and ice. The second half is tropical, sunny and hot. And why I don't want to ever live in Florida if I can ever help it. Christmas is meant to be enjoyed when it's cold. 

I absolutely love the cover and interior art by Jim Aparo and Joe Staton. Aparo is my second favorite Batman artist of all-time behind Neal Adams. And Staton was such a master illustrator. But man, did this story have some really odd parts to it. 

For instance, when the decorations are stolen, the Mayor of Gotham City declares a state of emergency. I've read hundreds of Batman comics where the Joker is threatening to destroy Gotham with his gas. Or Bain wants to blow up the City. Or Mister Freeze is going to create a permanent winter. Yet in each of those instances, never once has the Mayor made such a proclamation. But he's willing to send out the National Guard when someone steals the town's nativity scene?

Then there's Batman's whirly-bat. I love the little helicopter. But are you telling me that Batman's corvette style Batmobile could really fit that thing in the trunk? No Way!

Bob Haney penned this Christmas themed story and he's usually very good at writing the Brave and the Bold stories. But this time around it was just a little bit inconceivable!
Still a fun read, but riddled with plot holes.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

DC Showcase Presents: The Spectre, Volume 1

This was a beautiful collection of stories starring one of the most mysterious and most powerful characters in the DC Universe. Originally a creation of Superman co-creator Jerry Seigel, the Spectre is the living embodiment of God's Angel of Vengeance. When police detective Jim Corrigan was brutally murdered, God has mercy on him, and gives Corrigan another chance as long as he willingly becomes the vessel for the Spectre to dwell.

Acting as 'The Voice', the Spectre eliminated evil doers in some pretty gruesome ways. That is until the coming of the Comics Code. At that point, the Spectre continued to battle evil, but he'd mellow out eventually, allowing Corrigan to take the baddies to prison instead of sending them straight to Hell.

It's those less violent stories that starts out this awesome collection. Basically neutered, the Spectre would star in a short-lived series helmed by Neal Adams (Batman Odyssey) that only lasted 10 issues. The character would then languish in lingo only appearing in the occasional Justice League of America or Brave and the Bold adventure. The Batman team-ups are reprinted in this collection, as are some Showcase Presents team-ups with Doctor Fate. (The JLA epics can be found in assorted volumes of their Showcase Presents collections.)

As rules on horror in comics was lessened in the 1970s, DC would attempt to reboot the Spectre in the pages of Adventure Comics. Written and illustrated by Michael Fleisher and Jim Aparo, these are some of my favorite horror comics DC have ever done and they were gory! One issue has a victim cut to pieces with a giant pair of scissors and another have a baddie sliced to literal ribbons at a lumber yard. 

Based on the time period, these new Spectre stories were highly controversial and several issues never saw print until later on in a special 1988 miniseries called Wraith of the Spectre. Thankfully, that's not the end of the Spectre as he would appear in several issues of another horror title called Ghosts.

 In these stories, the skeptic hunter Doctor Thirteen would try to prove that the Spectre was a hoax! But each time Jim Corrigan or the Spectre get the best of Thirteen. I wish that storyline went longer than it did because they were some of my favorite episodes in this collection.

I have a few of these stories in other issues already- especially Wraith of the Spectre and Brave and the Bold tales. But this collection was filled with over 300 pages of material that was all-new to me- plus it was an awesome gift from my wife! I loved the whole thing. 

One little quirk- this book is listed as Volume 1. It shouldn't be listed as anything of the sort. There never was (and unless DC un-cancels the Showcase Presents line), there never will be a second volume. I guess that means I'll just have to collect the further Spectre titles from 1990-on in single issue form. I'm okay with that...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Happy Veteran's Day...

Thank you for serving!